Getting to Know You Better
by A Beautiful Sleeper
Summary: Most of Annie's romantic life is unknown to her best friend, he wants to change that. Along the way, is she going to fall for him?
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first story, and since I've never had anyone read my work before (with the exception of my little sister) I don't know if it's going to be any good. Any and all criticism is welcome, even flames, because it all shows you ways to improve. Unless you're just generally hating. In which case, why on earth are you here anyways? Go find something better to do. This isn't going to be Auggie/Annie in the romantic sense yet, but I fully intend to build up to that. Right now, they're just best friends._

_**Getting to Know You Better**_

_**Chapter One: Embarrassment**_

_**By Time Lady Zelie**_

Annie Walker and Auggie Anderson were friends. The best of friends, actually. Annie hadn't been this close to anyone in quite a while, really, as working at the CIA had made it hard to talk to her sister, and before that she'd just been on the move too much to get involved. She and Auggie just got along very well, and had since her first day. On most any day, it could be counted on that they'd be together at Allen's having a drink or two or, if it had been a particularly bad day, more. They talked about a lot of things, like how Katia and Chloe were doing, or a Mingus tribute concert, or some funny incident from the past. One subject, however, was just not talked about: their exes. Whether the reason was respect for Annie's ordeal with Ben Mercer or just because it was and awkward topic, neither of them were sure. But it sure made Annie wonder how they'd ended up talking about it this evening.

"Oh, come on, Walker. I know you have to have had at least one awkward date moment. You can't ignore me forever," he teased her, taking a sip of his beer. He had such a cocky smile on his face, quite possibly because he knew full well she had had several such moments.

Annie ground her teeth together before answering," I tell you what. I'll show you mine if you show me yours, so to speak."

"Someone's a little feisty tonight. All right, sure. I've got nothing to hide," Auggie replied easily. _Damn_, she thought. She'd hoped that putting that condition with it would deter him. No such luck. _It seems to have encouraged him, as a matter of fact. Well...two can play this game..._

"Deal,"she said, and they shook on it. "So, my most embarrassing date moment...gimme a minute. I gotta think."

His grin got wider. "Sure, take all the time you need. I'll order more drinks," he said, flagging down a waitress. "Two more beers, please."

"Sure thing!" the waitress replied, just a little too seductively for Annie's taste.

As soon as the waitress was gone, Annie muttered threateningly, "Don't even think about leaving me high and dry here, Auggie."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Besides, I'm about to learn so much about you," he replied as he leaned back in his chair. How he managed to lean so far back and not fall and crack his skull open was a complete mystery to her. Especially considering how much he'd already had to drink.

"Good. Okay, okay, I've got one. This was back in college, my freshman year. I had taken a break from studying for my finals, and was walking towards the quad to maybe watch some ultimate frisbee. I'd just settled down on the grass when this guy walked out of the game and came right over to me, looking hurt and disappointed. 'Annie, why'd you stand me up last night? Surely you didn't forget that you agreed to come have dinner with me last night, right?' he said. I started panicking, because he did look kinda familiar.

" I was feeling really rotten for forgetting all about him, so I promised that he could pick me up for a movie that night at seven. True to his word, he picked me up at seven and we went to see a movie. Unfortunately, it was a horror movie like none I've ever seen, and it scared me so much that I screamed and dumped my drink in his lap. He was giving me such a horrified look, I couldn't even move. That's when I heard him mutter, 'That's the last time I use that to trick a chick into going out with me. I get a damned klutz every time.' I was so embarrassed that I'd been tricked by such a loser and that I'd been scared so easily and been such a klutz that it was all I could do not to run out of the theater and go straight home."

"Wow. That is pretty bad," Auggie conceded as their drinks arrived. He fiddled with his cane a moment before he continued, "But I have a better one."

"Oh really, Casanova? You have a better one?" Annie asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, actually. I know how hard it must be to believe that such a smooth, attractive person as myself could possibly be embarrassedon a date. But yes, even someone as quick thinking and intelligent as I am can be caught by a dating horror," Auggie declared. Annie snorted. He looked offended and said, "What? I'm just telling it like it is!" This made Annie burst into full-on laughter, accidentally whacking her elbow on the corner of the table.

"Ouch," she said, rubbing her injured elbow softly. That had really hurt!

"Yeah, well, that's what you get for making fun of people. Karma's a bitch. But seriously, you okay?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll live. Now quit stalling and tell your story!" she demanded.

"Okay. Picture me in high school, about junior year, I think. Athletic, but still on the nerdy side. Not as confident as I am now. So asking a girl out is a big deal, especially the girl I had in mind. She was pretty, no, more like gorgeous, tall, and smart. Her name was Liz Baker, a sophomore in college. I met her at this party one of my brothers threw while our parents were out of town. One look at Liz and I was a goner.

"It took me about three months to work up the nerve to ask her out, but I finally got her to agree to go trick-or-treating with me. Yeah, pretty stupid, I know, but it was all I could think of. And hey, it worked! So, anyways, we'd decided to coordinate our costumes so we'd be an obvious pair, like doctor and nurse. She came up with the idea that we should be Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Since one of my friends worked at a costume shop, it fell to me to get our costumes together. So I went to do that, my friend asking me what the hell I needed a Tinker Bell costume for. When I told him, he gave me this weird look, but he helped me anyways.

"I didn't feel any real need to try my costume on in advance, so I was in for a bit of a surprise when I realized that my tights weren't quite big enough and there was nothing I could do. But I figured, hey, it's only for a few hours, I'll be fine! And I was, until I drove her home. I got out of the car to escort her to the door and I dropped my wallet. I bent over to get it at the same time as she did, and our heads collided. We both stumbled, yelling, when a vey audible rip was heard. That was my tights' seams splitting. Around that time, Liz's brother opened the front door to see what the commotion was all about. I was shocked to see my friend from the costume store, just as he was surprised to see me, my tighty-whities exposed to the world, stumbling around his yard while his older sister mumbles profanity and leans against the bird bath."

"Oooh. Yeah, that is worse than mine. You poor thing," Annie winced.

" Wait. It gets even better. It wasn't just my friend who was disturbed by all the noise we were making. It was more like the whole cul-de-sac was awoken, lights turned on, noses pressed to windows. By the time I got home, someone had already called my mother and told her that I was being publicly indecent. We had quite a lovely little talk about proper attire after that," Auggie responds.

"I'm guessing that Liz never went on another date with you, huh?" Annie commented.

"Nope. But I would have paid money to have seen how she looked when I went back home for a visit for the first time after I moved here. Apparently, she didn't do very well after college. Real pity," he lamented.

"Well, of course she didn't do well! She missed out on a chance to have Auggie Anderson in her life," she joked.

Auggie snapped his fingers and said, "That must be it. See how lucky you are, Annie? You've got your very own me!"

She giggles and says, "Yep. I'm lucky. You're a good friend." The waitress finally comes with the hot wings they had ordered when they first got there, and the conversation drifts until Auggie asks, out of the blue, "So, what's the most amazing date you've ever been on?"

Her head snapped around to look at him. "You just don't know when to stop, do you?"

"Nope. Besides, when you think about it, I really don't know much about you in that area. It's like your entire romantic life is in the dark, with the exception of the Ben Mercer story. As your best friend, it's my job to know everything about you. Even the bad stuff," he pouted.

"Auggie...it's just...weird talking about all that stuff. Let me do it at my own pace," she mumbled.

"That's fine. I get that it's awkward. But you will have to answer eventually. Share a taxi with me?"

"Sure. I think I've had a bit too much to drink to drive home safely," she answered. With that, they got up and started walking out. About halfway to the exit, the waitress popped up again.

"Hey, handsome, if you don't mind waiting until my shift's over, you could come back to my place..." she said saucily to Auggie.

Auggie smiled and said, "Maybe some other time. Right now, I'm too tired and drunk to be interested in much more than going to bed." Annie smiled to herself when the waitress huffed and stormed off. This had been a pretty good end to a terrible week, she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: So sorry it's been forever and a day since I updated this story. I kinda had a meltdown after someone very important to me told me it wasn't worth it to keep writing this crap, and I've never had a fantastically long attention span anyways, so there you go. Add that to all kinds of school crap, and you have your reasons for me sitting on my butt not writing. However, I think this warrants another go. I lost my original version of the second chapter, so I'm writing this nearly a year from originally starting it, and my head and writing style may be different, so I'm sorry for any disjointedness while I try to get everything straightened out. Thanks for giving me a chance anyways though, and suggestions still very much welcome. –Zelie_

_**Getting to Know You Better**_

_**Chapter Two: Fantastic**_

Annie and Auggie sat in her living room, somewhere around a week after their original conversation about their dating pasts, enjoying a few glasses of wine and some take-out from one of the best Chinese places in town. Annie had finally gotten past the awkward conversation of the week before, and had more or less completely forgotten the entire conversation had even happened. Unfortunately for her, she'd also completely forgotten Auggie Anderson's tendency towards lulling a person into a false sense of security before going in for the kill. She didn't even see it coming when he decided that that evening would be a perfectly opportune moment to continue their storytelling, which was exactly what he was aiming for.

"So, Annie…about that amazing date of yours. You never did finish telling me that story."

She nearly dropped her wineglass, right on the living room floor. _Damn. So close, _she thought. That's what you get for forgetting you told Auggie something like what they'd talked about previously.

"Auggie, whatever happened to letting me take things at my own pace?" she asked him, placing her glass carefully on the coffee table. She didn't want to have to clean up that mess, especially with the ordeal of trying to clean up the verbal mess she'd gotten herself into.

"Annie, you promised me." The look on his face was such a convincing puppy dog pout, Cruella DeVille would have been heartbroken. She sighed, knowing that even if she did manage to say no to him now, he'd just spring it on her again later, and perhaps he wouldn't play fair next time. He wasn't above waiting until she was thoroughly inebriated to ask her questions she wouldn't normally answer. This way, she could be sure of what all she'd said to him, saving herself the problem of having to deduce what he knew and what was still under wraps.

"All right, all right. Gimme a minute. And quit looking at me like that," she muttered, finally giving in to that stare that, even though she knew he couldn't see her, felt penetrating enough to be reading her like a book. He grinned at her at once, leaning back in his seat on her couch. He secretly couldn't believe that she had given in so easily, and was feeling quite proud of himself. Then again, she never had been able to say no to him…

"So. My most amazing date, huh? Well, I guess…no, that doesn't count. Okay. I think I have my story. Drumroll, please." She waited until he started tapping manically on the couch cushions before continuing. "Thank you. When I was travelling the world, before I was recruited for The Farm, I was visiting-"

"Please, tell me this isn't going to be a Ben Mercer story. I don't think I can sit through a story of how _romantic_, how _sweet_ he was. Even if you are the one telling me the story. I might have to have a stronger drink," Auggie moaned, interrupting the story.

Now she was pissed. "No, this is not a Ben Mercer story. Why do you assume that? Do you want to hear the story or not?" she demanded of him, glaring at him, knowing full well that most of the value of that glare was lost on him. He recoiled from her sharp tone, nonetheless. "Of course I want to hear the story. I'm sorry I made that assumption, Annie. I didn't mean to upset you," he apologized softly, smoothing his fingers over her hand. "Please, keep talking."

"Where was I? Oh, yeah. I was visiting Australia, just checking out most of the tourist-y stuff because I was rather pressed for time. I had a flight to catch to get to Russia, as there was a particular lecture I wanted to hear and some things I wanted to do that could only be done during a specific time window. That didn't leave me much time to see much, no matter where I went, so I decided to visit Australia, knowing I could probably go back and not have any issues picking up wherever I left off with sight-seeing and living the culture. I had already been to the Sydney Opera House that day, and was just feeling kinda lazy, so I decided I'd have lunch and head back to my hotel for a quick nap before I decided to get a move on to see whatever the next big thing happened to be in the area. After asking a few of the locals in the bus station, a small deli in the middle of Sydney was decided on for my lunch. I was also feeling rather adventurous, so I decided it was high time I tried Vegemite."

"Vegemite? How was it, I've never tried it. Is it really such an acquired taste as those who live 'down under' make it out to be?" Auggie interjected.

"It was pretty…different. Let's just say it was different. Not what I was expecting. Anyways, I must have had the most ridiculous look on my face when I took my first bite, because this man at the table across from me started chuckling quietly at me. I turned to give him a quick piece of my mind, when he beat me to it. 'Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. The look of someone experiencing Vegemite for the first time is always a sight to see,' is how he explained himself. He slid over to my table to introduce himself while I took a quick sip of my drink in an attempt to dispel the rather strong taste still in my mouth. Said his name was Jack, and would I like to split his burger with him, rather than finish off my own sandwich? While I hated the idea of wasting the sandwich, he assured me that some bird or dog would gladly finish it. Oh, I forgot to tell you we were eating outside at picnic tables. Oops. Well, anyways, as we split his burger, I learned that he was a guitar player in a four-piece band called something like the Knockers, or something. I don't really remember anymore."

"Oh, Annie. How could you forget? I might have been wanting to go look them up and learn all about this man," Auggie teased her, taking a sip of his wine. "You know that it is my ongoing quest to know everything there is to know about everyone in your life."

"You'll just have to work a little harder then. So sorry to inconvenience you, Mr. Anderson," she teased back, poking him lightly in the side. Leaning in a little closer, she continued her story. "He invited me to a show they were doing that night, in a little town called Winton. Not knowing how far away that was, I said yes. He pulled me out of my seat, paying for both my uneaten meal and his, before dragging me out to his van. He explained as we walked that he was going to need to get going if he was going to get there on time for the sound check, and he was bringing me with him because he didn't want to take the risk of not having me there at his side. At first, I thought he was being a more than a little clingy, and it was definitely creeping me out. But during the car ride, I realized that he wasn't kidnapping me or trying to force me into his bed, and just wanted to see me in the audience and didn't want me to be late because I'd gotten lost or whatever. So it was fine.

"We got there, and he told me to feel free to go around and see the sights in the area, as there was around two hours for me to kill before his band would be ready to go on. I went out, saw some shops, bought Danielle a nice top, and went back to the small bar where he was performing. Not a whole lot to do in Winton. Anyways, the show was great, and he even had the guys play a song he dedicated to me. He'd bought my dinner too, even though he didn't really eat it with me."

"Where's the amazing part? Being kidnapped and listening to music doesn't sound like such an amazing date to me," Auggie asked. Annie sighed, "Patience is a virtue for a reason, you know." He gave her one of those grins of his that could make a snow-woman feel hot inside. "Since when have I ever been virtuous?"

"Right. Forgot who I was talking to there for a minute. We're getting to the good part, just hold on a minute. It's coming up, I promise. So, when he got done with the set, he came by to ask if I'd enjoyed myself, which I had, and asked if it was okay if he took one detour before taking me back to Sydney. I didn't mind, so we drove out a little ways before we came to this odd little fence with a sign and some other stuff around it. He told me to get out of the van and come with him, there was something he wanted me to listen to. I got out, and he walked over to the fence and started plucking at the wires, almost strumming them. He sang me this song that he later told me he'd been working on for months, but hadn't quite had the inspiration to finish before he'd met me. When he was done, he explained to me all about the Winton Musical Fence and its heritage, what it was about. We just kind of sat outside for a while there, occasionally plucking at the fence, but mostly just talking about stuff. He took me back to my hotel, and I left Australia the next day."

They sat in almost a contemplative silence before Auggie finally spoke. "So, a musical fence. That actually exists?"

"Yup. Weirdest thing, but really cool. It actually sounds like real music," she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder finally. "Aren't you going to ask me why that made for an amazing date?"

"Nope. I imagine that if I had somebody play a musical fence for me, I'd be pretty amazed myself," he stated. "Not that I've ever heard one, of course. It just sounds cool. Making music with such an everyday object as a fence."

"Yeah. It definitely was." She looked up at him as best she could from her position on his shoulder. "So, can you do better on this one?" she asked, swiftly dissipating whatever thoughtful vibe had been going on in the room.

"Hmmm. I don't know on this one, Walker. You may have me beat. But we'll see."

_A/N: Sorry this took so long, once again. To be continued again soon, hopefully. I do have an idea, for once. Now just a matter of putting pen to paper. Or fingers to keyboard, as it may be. Reviews appreciated!_


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